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A British YouTuber accused of raping a fan nearly had his trial aborted after he was filmed sitting inside the dock of a Perth court.
It can now be revealed that District Court judge Linda Black had to order the take-down of a TikTok video after she was made aware it was circulating online showing Andres Barrientos sitting in the dock during his trial last week.
Barrientos, whose stage name is Yung Filly, was found not guilty of raping the 20-year-old fan after a Hillarys gig in September 2024.
However, he was also found guilty of two counts of assaulting her – but not of strangling her and not of raping her.
The jury could not come to a decision on three of the 10 charges he was facing. Whether he faces a retrial on those charges will be decided at a later date.
Earlier during his trial, his bid for freedom almost came to a grinding halt when Black called an urgent hearing of the start of day six of the trial to issue a stern warning to social media sleuths who were reporting on the case online.
“I will not have any hesitation in jailing anyone who breaches my orders,” she barked to everyone sitting in the gallery, issuing a court order that the footage be deleted immediately.
She then boarded up the court’s windows and ordered a strict policy that identification had to be shown before entering the court.
She also revealed that online videos and posts had been made revealing the identity of Barrientos’s alleged victim which was in direct violation of the court’s orders.
“I am generally nice but I can certainly lose my cool if people don’t follow the rules,” said Black who has a reputation for fairness and fierceness.
The two-week trial drew attention from around the world. Barrientos boasts over 7 million followers across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok where he describes himself as “an influencer/artist” and thousands of people were commenting on the trial and posting about its progress online.
Those posts were, at times, in contradiction with the rules that traditional media have to abide by but policing their content is difficult, especially when they are not present in the court at the time.
It no doubt raises many questions for lawyers and judges who are expected to conduct a fair trial for anyone accused of a crime.
But while the heightened publicity almost brought his trial to a grinding halt, it no doubt didn’t do his career any harm.
Who is Yung Filly?
Barrientos made a name for himself online as a teenager telling stories about his dating experiences. He called them ‘Sunday Stories’. One post about how an ex cheated on him went viral and launched his career.
“I woke up, and I was like, ‘2000 views on Snap? I’m going in!’” he said in an interview with GRM Daily.
“And then I thought, let me put this on Facebook, see what it does. And I remember getting a million views in like two days, if not a day. No joke.”
The move launched his career buoyed by boyish charm, good looks, a London accent and a wicked sense of humour. He began making comedy content online in 2013 and is best-known for making videos with the Beta Squad, which also includes his best friend and popular YouTuber and presenter, Chunkz.
Soon after he was asked to host the launch of hugely popular video game FIFA 20 and more mainstream requests have followed, even appearing in popular cooking show The Great British Bake Off and playing for England in the Soccer Aid for Unicef charity match in 2020 where he scored a goal.
In 2017 he launched his music career which is described as “blending rap, Afroswing, and Latin influences” earning him chart success with multiple hits such as Hold and Clean Up.
In 2021 he won the award for Best Media Personality at the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards.
Life wasn’t always so easy for Barrientos, though. Born in Columbia, he moved to the UK when he was two years old as a refugee with two siblings and his mum and has spoken publicly about being proud of his roots while being open about how much he and his family struggled financially when he was a child.
“I’m most proud of the fact that I was a refugee,” he said in 2020.
“I’m proud that I had to struggle. It makes you appreciate all the lit stuff a lot more. I don’t think I really took in how poor we was … it makes me so much more grateful because I’ve lived in the worst of the worst situations.”
He grew up in a religious home in southeast London with a single mum, once saying that “God has my back”. He failed at school and has said that if he didn’t become a YouTube star, he doesn’t know what he would be doing with his life.
He has spoken openly about suffering with anxiety and panic attacks, claiming that “being known” is what gives him anxiety.
While Barrientos’ wealth is unknown, in October 2024 UK newspaper the Mirror speculated that he was worth between $1million and $2million USD.
In a BBC interview posted to TikTok, Barrientos boasted that he took around 25 holidays a year to destinations such as Dubai, Spain, Qatar and Miami and that he owned a $200,000 Mercedes G-Wagon.
His love of fast cars is not surprise given that he was arrested – and later pleaded guilty to – speeding while on bail in Perth. He was caught driving at 158km/h on Roe Highway in High Wycombe, leading to his car being impounded and further charges of reckless driving.
He will be sentenced for that charge at a later date.
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